Health & Safety

On this page, you will find information about keeping our community safe and healthy-- physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Hotlines & Mental Health Resources

If there is an immediate threat to you, your child, or others, call 911 immediately.

Safe2Tell
877-542-SAFE (7233)

Colorado Crisis Services
1-844-493-8255
Text "TALK" to 38255

National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH)
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

National Sexual Assault Telephone and Online Hotline
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline
1-866-331-9474

Transgender Suicide Hotline
1-877-565-8860

Love is Respect
1-866-331-9474
1-866-331-8453

Mental Health Resources

NASP: National Association of School Psychologists

Managing Illness

If your family decides to mask while in school, we will honor your decision. We have KN-95 masks available. If you would like a bag of KN-95 masks, please email the heath clerk, Jobie Stom.

It takes our entire community to reduce the spread of illness and keep the community healthy. As such, we request (but do not require) that students, staff members, and volunteers mask for at least 5 days following a positive COVID-19 test or while experiencing symptoms of illness.

SVCMS, along with the CDC, continue to emphasize the importance of being up to date with the COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Protection provided by the current vaccine against symptomatic infection and transmission diminishes over time, especially against the currently circulating variants. For this reason, it is important to stay up to date, especially as new vaccines become available.

Should My Sick Child Come to School?

Families should follow Colorado's Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) How Sick is Too Sick guidance document.

As a general rule, a child who is too ill to play outside or attend extra-curricular activities (e.g. soccer) should not be brought to school.
If a child displays symptoms but is well enough to come to school, we encourage families to send the child to school in a mask to reduce the spread of illness in the classroom. We have plenty of masks to share.

Students experiencing a fever of 100.4° or higher, diarrhea, or vomiting must remain home for 24 hours after symptoms resolve unless the symptoms are caused by an illness that requires them to stay home longer.

If your child will be missing school due to illness, please email attendance@svcmontessori.org on the morning of the absence.

Communicable Diseases

COVID testing is recommended for anyone with COVID-like symptoms or a known exposure.

If your student is positive for COVID, please let the health clerk know and keep them home until symptoms are improving and it has been 24 hours since any fever (100.4 or higher), diarrhea, or vomiting.
Once they are able to return, we recommend they mask for 5 days when inside, if they still are presenting improved symptoms.

Parents/Guardians of children who have been exposed to or contracted a contagious disease must notify the school as soon as possible.

The school may inform other families of the illness. We send notifications of cases of communicable diseases such as COVID-19, influenza, and strep.
Please see our family handbook for more information.

Please remember that staying up-to-date on vaccines is the best defense to protect individuals against viruses.

Community Safety

SAFE2TELL® is designed to help you anonymously report any threatening behavior that endangers you, your friends, your family, or your community. Safe2Tell® is a state-funded strategic initiative of the Colorado Department of Law, Office of the Attorney General.

Definitions

Bullying is repeated, targeted aggression conducted by an individual (aggressor) or a group (aggressor) against other(s) (targets). It is unwarranted and purposeful written, verbal, non- verbal, electronic or physical behavior (act or gesture) that has the potential to create an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment.

Cyber-bullying is willful and repeated harassment and intimidation of a person through the use of digital electronics. It includes, but is not limited to: email, instant messages, text messages, and internet postings. Unwarranted contact may take place in, or occur on, social networks, chat rooms, blogs, or cell phone text.

Bullying behaviors fall into two basic categories, direct or indirect. Direct bullying behavior is more physical or verbal in nature than indirect bullying behavior. The following behaviors fit this category:

Punching, poking, pinching, shoving, hitting,
Choking, biting, or spitting
Ganging up or cornering
Calling names or insults
Threatening
Playing mean or embarrassing tricks or telling cruel jokes
Touching, propositioning, or assaulting in sexual ways
Taunting and teasing about race, religion, disabilities, or social status

Indirect bullying behavior is more emotional or passive-aggressive in nature than direct bully behavior. The following behaviors fit this category:

Isolating, rejecting, excluding, or blackmailing
Ranking or rating
Giving hateful looks
Using indecent gestures
Passing insulting or humiliating notes
Writing hateful graffiti
Spreading hurtful rumors or gossip
Manipulating peer relationships

Resources

St. Vrain Community Montessori School expects that all members of our school will treat each other with civility and respect. See resources below related to bullying prevention and interventions:

Title IX is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. The specific Title IX policies of SVCMS can be found at this link, and our Title IX report can be found here. Reporting to the Title IX Coordinator is NOT a replacement for Mandatory Reporting. To contact the SVCMS Title IX coordinator, please email titleixcoordinator@svcmontessori.org.

SVCMS holds student data privacy and security in high regard and takes action to ensure that our students’ data is handled securely in compliance with the Colorado Student Data Transparency and Security Act (HB 16-1423), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the SVVSD Student Information Privacy and Protection Policy. SVCMS shares necessary personally identifiable information with third party platforms that are required for public schools or by the district as well as carefully vetted third party programs that are specific to SVCMS. Personally identifiable information is shared via secure transfer methods that meet current industry best practices. For more information, visit the Student Data Privacy Page.